Manufacture of wrought-iron or steel spoke-wheels, &amp;c.



No. 628,080. Patentd July 4, I899.

HARDT.

H. MANUFACTURE OF WROUGH N 0R STEEL SPOKE WHEELS, 81,0.

A11 a a eb. 26, 1896.)

plxc hon file F (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

INVENTOR! AT TOR Y.

Nn. 628,080. Patented m 4, I899. H.EHRHABDT.

MANUFACTURE OF WBOUGHT IRON 0R STEE'L" SPOKE WHEELS, 8w.

(Application filed Feb. 26, 1896.) N o M o d e l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

INVENTORQY AT TURN UNITED STATES PATENT O CE.

HEINRICH EHRHARDT, OF DUSS ELDORF, GERMANY.

MANUFACTURE Of WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL SPOKE-WHEELS, dc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,080, dated July 4, 1899.

T0 aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEINRICH EHRHARDT, a subject of the Duke of ISaxe-Ooburg-Gotha, residing at Dusseldorf, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Improved Manufacture of Wrought Iron or Steel Spoke- Wheels, VVheel-Oenters, and Belt-Pulleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference toimprovementsin the manufacture of drawn or pressed spoke-wheels, wheelcenters, pulleys, and the like from a single piece of wrought-iron or steel, it having for its object to produce a wheel in which the grain or fiber of the metal composing the spokes runs substantially in the longitudinal direction of the spokes, the wheels being for this reason considerably stronger than the ordinary wheels.

The nature of my invention Will best be understood when described in connection'with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1, 3, and 4 are vertical sections illustrating the dies and punches for successively acting upon the blank. Figs. 2 and 5 are plan views, with part broken away, of Figs. 1 and 4, respectively. 'Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line A B, Fig. 7, drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 is a face view of a Wheel on a reduced scale. Figs. 8 and 11 are vertical sections of the dies and punches for forming perforated spokes. Fig. 9 is a plan view of Fig. 8. I Fig. 10 is a plan view of Fig. 11. Figs. 12 and 13 are vertical sections illustrating the method of drawing out the spokes. Figs. 14 to 21, inclusive, illustrate diiferent forms of wheels produced.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In carrying out my process the blank is first formed with a central hole according to any known method, preferably according to the method described in my prior patent, No. 495,245, dated April 11, 1,8 93. The blank is thenplaced into a suitable moldd and e, perforated for the passage of a punch I), carried by the die a. The punch first passes through the central hole in the blank,and then,in combination with the die 0, forces the blank into the mold d and e to partially form the hub and to force the metal upwardly in the mold Application filed February 26, 1896. Serial No- 580,848. N0 model.)

for the partial formation of the rim and web. The blank is then successively acted upon by conical dies f, Fig. 3, by which it is gradually spread and then brought to the webbed form shown in cross-section on the left-hand side of Fig. 4, the process and apparatus used being thatv substantially described in my prior patent, No. 560,785, dated May 26, 1896. The blank now has a oomparatively thick web, (indicated by w in Figs. 4 and 6,) and from this blank I form a wheel provided with arms or spokes. To this end I make use of a mold N and a stamp M of the construction shown in Fig. 4. The mold and stamp are formed to correspond to the space or web to be formed between the spokes, and into the mold is inserted a radial cutter (one or more) 8, located centrally between/the spokes to be formed. In the stamp M is formed a depression 75, into which the cutter enters when the stamp is depressed. Then the stamp is depressed, the material is reduced from the thickness ac to the thickness y, it being forced or spread laterally or circumferentially to form the arms or spokes from both sides of the cutter s, the latter cutting or indenting the metal so that it' is equally forced toward both sides. The arms or spokes are therefore formed by a lateral or circumferential flow or displacement of the metal, and the grain or fiber of the spokes must extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the spokes. In the present example I have shown the mold N provided with two cutters s and the stamp M constructed to correspond therewith, the blank being turned to bring successive portions beneath the stamp until the Wheel is completed. The finished wheel will have the appearance shown in Fig. 7, the cross-section of the spokes being that shown in Fig. 6 but it is of course to be understood that the crosssection of the spokes could be different from that shown in said figure.

' For the manufacture of spoke-wheels or wheel-centers with hollow spokes a blank a, Figs. 8 and 9, is first formed with a central hole, as described with reference to Fig. 1, and is then-formed hollow orcup-shaped by means of suitably-formed dies 0 and molds, Figs. 8 and 9, so as to produce a ribbed form of blank, as indicated in Fig. 9.

The ribs constituting the spokes are rendered hollow by punching either while in the dished form, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, or after the blank has been spread out to a disk form in the manner described with reference to Fig. 3 and as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 11. Instead of rendering the spokes hollow by punching, they may also be bored out. The dished blanks with hollow ribs are then either at once spread out fiat or they are first drawn out longer, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, and they are then finished either to form a wheel-center-that is, a hub v and spokes onlyin the manner indicated in Figs. 12, 14, 19, 20, and 21, or to form a complete spokewheel in the manner shown in Figs. 13, 15, 16, 1 7, and 18. The material between the spokes, Figs. 4, 6, 9, and 10, is then either entirely removed, as in Figs. 7 and 20, oronly partially so, as in Figs. 18 and 19, the parts g remaining then serving to strengthen the arms or spokes.

What I claim as new is 1. The process for m akingmetal wheels with ribs from metal blanks without ribs, which consists in forcing the metal constituting the web of the blank laterally in both directions from each of aseries of radial positions,whereby parts of the web are propelled from opposite directions to form radial ribs having a longitudinal grain,substan tially as described.

2. The process for forming ribs or spokes for metal wheels, which consists in making radial incisions in the web of the blank, and forcing the metal laterally from said incisions, substantially as described. 4

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HEINRICH EI-IRHARDT.

\Vitnesses:

EMMA LIEBER, WILLIAM EssENWEIN. 

